INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The 105-member Oslo Middle School Orchestra took their seats in the middle of the gymnasium as their fellow classmates filed in to take in an impromptu performance. After two pieces, it became evident this was no ordinary rehearsal.
Special guest Matt McManus addressed the assembly, asking the students for a drum roll. They enthusiastically filled in, stomping their feet on the bleachers and the floor as a door opened and a stream of people waltzed in, each carrying a stringed instrument sporting a large green bow.
“These are for you,” McManus announced to the orchestra as the students leapt from their seats, jaws dropping in disbelief.
“I didn’t think that was the surprise,” said 7th grader Courtney Brooks, who recently took up playing the violin after his friends said it was fun.
He was one of 31 students who got to play with the brand new instruments.
“It sounded better,” Brooks said of the new violin, comparing it to the 5-year-old violin he had been playing with. “It felt pretty good.”
Fidelity Investments, through its recently opened Vero Beach branch, donated $23,000 worth of musical instruments to the school – bringing 19 violins, 10 violas and two cellos.
Some of the new instruments will be used to replace old ones that are beyond repair, according to Orchestra Booster Chair Debbie Seagrave. However, many of them will be used to help expand the orchestra, bringing in more students who want to participate but either can’t afford to buy or rent an instrument.
Oslo Middle Principal Sean Brown said the school receives phone calls from parents whose children want to be a part of the orchestra program but just can’t afford it.
Brown said he has always wanted to make Oslo Middle a performing arts school, but limited funding has been an issue.
“This gives us a chance to level the playing field,” Brown said of Fidelity Investments’ donation. “We’re very thankful.”
Richard Ballinger, the school’s orchestra director, said the new instruments will help students better connect with their music and take pride in themselves.
“This is a really good boost to their confidence,” Ballinger said.
He had applied for assistance through The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which selected Oslo Middle and four other schools across the country. The foundation facilitated the purchase of the instruments for Fidelity Investments, buying the violins, violas and cellos from Melbourne-based Atlantic Strings.
“This is such a better experience than a big check – it’s so tangible,” said Seagrave as the students settled in to perform another piece, this time with new instruments.
McManus, the vice president and branch manager for the Vero Beach office, said Fidelity Investments wants to be a leader in the community, to give back to the community, which has already been very welcoming.
“To us, community involvement is personal,” he said.
With new instruments in hand, Ballinger said the orchestra still has a need for new bows, new strings and cases for their cellos.
The bows are about 10 years old, he said, and should be re-haired annually – which they haven’t been. The old violins, violas and cellos all nee new strings each year. They, too, have not been restrung. The cellos, too, need hard cases. Currently, they’re lugged about in bags, which do little to protect the instruments.
Ballinger said any assistance from the public would be greatly appreciated.
Anyone wishing to build on Fidelity Investments’ donation by providing monetary donations or other assistance is encouraged to call Oslo Middle School Orchestra Director Richard Ballinger at (772) 564-3952 or email richard.ballinger@indianriverschools.org or contact Principal Brown by calling (772) 564-3950 or email sean.brown@indianriverschools.org.
